As a sailor, the idea of scores of unmanned, insensate cargo behemoths making their heedless way across the Pacific does more than 'take the romance' out of it: it takes an area now populated only with the attentive sort of humans (i.e., sailors & sea captains; no blithe little rich blondes in huge SUVs, street rats, or crack fiends) and makes of it a game of Frogger.

If they want to save money at sea shipping lines should continue to look into sail- or solar-assisted propulsion. If you get 4-6kn of your 18-23kn total speed from sail, you save that much fuel & carbon impact. The last China clippers made 16kn regularly on sail power alone.